Newcastle United defender's intriguing praise for West Ham ace amid Manchester United links

Newcastle United didn’t concede a single Premier League goal in January - and two of the protagonists for this have been recognised.
By Joe Buck
Published 8th Feb 2023, 15:30 BST
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Here, we round-up all the latest stories that have emerged from St James’s Park and beyond:

Newcastle United duo nominated for award

Newcastle’s three league games in January saw them pick up five points following goalless draws away at Arsenal and Crystal Palace and a last-gasp win over Fulham at St James’s Park. The Magpies built on their solid start to the season with yet another unbeaten month of football to start 2023.

Dan Burn and Nick Pope have been nominated for the PFA & Vertu Motors’ Fans Player of the Month for January (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)Dan Burn and Nick Pope have been nominated for the PFA & Vertu Motors’ Fans Player of the Month for January (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Dan Burn and Nick Pope have been nominated for the PFA & Vertu Motors’ Fans Player of the Month for January (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Newcastle have the best defensive record in the division, conceding just 12 times so far this campaign - and two of their main players have been rewarded for some fine form with nominations for the PFA & Vertu Motors’ Fans Player of the Month.

Nick Pope and Dan Burn are the two Magpies nominated for the award, but they’ll face stiff competition if they are to pick up the award. Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, Brighton’s Solly March, Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City and Marcus Rashford have also been nominated for the award.

Supporters can vote for their winner on the 90min.com website.

Kieran Trippier’s Declan Rice praise

Elsewhere, Kieran Trippier has described Declan Rice as ‘one of the best in the world’ following his St James’s Park masterclass at the weekend. Trippier was a guest on Rio Ferdinand’s Vibe with Five podcast and was full of praise for the Hammers midfielder.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Trippier said: "Declan’s unbelievable. I don’t know if you watched the game the other day when we played West Ham, just his intelligence, the way he breaks up play, how he travels with it, powerful, unbelievable. Probably one of the best in the world in what he does."

Newcastle United, Arsenal and Manchester United have all been linked with a move for Rice in the summer, with West Ham set to miss out on qualifying for European football next season. David Moyes has revealed that it would take a British record transfer fee for the Hammers to sell the 24-year-old this summer. That current record stands at the £106.8million Chelsea spent on Enzo Fernandez last month.

Related topics:West HamMagpiesManchester UnitedPremier League